When the Tears Never Stop
by Moon's Embrace
Summary: Alternate of "Leap of Faith" Season 5, Episode 5 . Major character death! Don't like it, don't read it. T for language.


**This is an alternate version of the episode "Leap of Faith" (Season 5, Episode 5). In this episode, a naval officer tries to commit suicide, but as he begins to back down, he is shot down. Long story short, at the end Tony nearly avoids being run over by a car, but ends up dangling over the edge of a long fall in a parking garage. Tim runs to his rescue, and pulls him to safety. I watched this episode and thought "What if he hadn't made it in time?" Now, granted, I'm not a Tony-hater, but really I just think about these things. I won't go too far into it, I hope. It's 3****rd**** person… But I tried to at least keep it in McGee's POV.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or situations in NCIS, and I do not take credit for anything but the creative fluids poured out here. Don't think too much about it, the metaphor is kind of gross.**

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"McGee!" Agent Gibbs yelled. The woman – the Black Widow – had run her car right past Tony, and he was hanging by his fingers off the ledge of the parking garage, at least two floors above where Agent McGee was positioned. "Floor seven!" McGee started running towards the seventh floor. He hadn't really been listening to the other orders his boss had given, but he heard the fire alarm ringing through the levels of the parking garage.

"Coming, Tony. Hold on," he mumbled under his breath, speeding up as much as he possibly could, rushing to save his longtime partner.

"Hurry it up, McGoogle!" Tony's taunt echoed, even above the wail of the alarm. "I can't hold on forever!"

"I'm almost there, Tony! Hold on!" McGee yelled, running around the final corner. He rushed up to the edge, just in time to see his fingers slip off the edge. He dove for Tony's hand, missing by a mere centimeter. He kept grabbing at the empty air, watching in horror as Tony fell. Ziva and Gibbs ran over to the edge of their level, watching helplessly as their friend and teammate fell past them.

"Tony, no!" Ziva screamed, tears coming to her eyes. A sickening crunch rang through the air.

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs didn't yell. He was quiet. "No, not again." He looked away from where Tony's body lay crumpled on the floor. He grabbed the Black Widow by the collar and dragged her towards his car.

"I – I didn't mean to…" She mumbled, ducking into the backseat. "I didn't want to hurt him…"

"I don't CARE!" Gibbs slammed the car door, and stalked to the front seat. "McGee. Ziva. Get over here."

Ziva shuffled over, trying to wipe the tears away. McGee still hung over the edge, staring down into the darkness where Tony had disappeared.

"McGee, NOW!" The death had left Gibbs in an awful mood, as anyone could expect. McGee slowly pulled himself together and straightened. The realization hit him then. _Tony is gone. Forever. _Tears filled his eyes as he jogged down the six flights of stairs to the level that Gibbs had parked on. Ducky's truck pulled up as he came around the corner, and Abby was only a few moments behind. She ran straight to Tim, embracing him.

"Oh, Timmy," she cried into his shoulder. "What on earth are we going to do without him?" She pulled herself away from Tim, and pulled him by the hand to her car. "I'll drive, you think. Just think, Timmy. No more blaming yourself or any of that craziness. Come on."

Tim lowered himself into the front seat and looked straight out the front, not moving or speaking until he got home. He thanked Abby quietly and headed into his apartment. Alone at last, he collapsed against the door, silently sobbing.

"It's my fault," he moaned, looking to the ceiling. "It's all my fault. Everything." He stayed there through the night, trying to find the fault in his words, looking for comfort somewhere. He found none.

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**Okay, that's it… for now. Well… unless I get an outpouring of reviews, this is as far as it goes. I really love Tony, but I love McGee more… Sorry for all you Tony-lovers. I was in tears writing this, so I can only imagine some of your reactions… R&R!**


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